Correspondence
by IckleRonnikens
Summary: For her seventh-year, Ginny Weasley prefers to do correspondence at home, and an unlikely tutor by the name of Remus Lupin is asked by her for help. Please review, that way I'm likely to write more.
1. The Unemployable

**Chapter One – The Unemployable**

For the first time in years, the Burrow on the morning of September the first was not in a rushed and hectic state. Ginny Weasley was able to make her way down to breakfast without having to rush or press up against the wall as people ran up and down the stairs getting things in order. Although it should have been her seventh-year, Ginny would not be attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this year by her own choice and would instead be doing correspondence.

Despite having made the decision weeks ago, she still wasn't entirely sure why it was she didn't want to go, the closest conclusion she had come to, was that going to Hogwarts when none of her brothers were there would be too weird for her. It might sound silly, and that teenage girls her age would thrive without her nosy brothers hanging off her tailcoat, but the reality was she just didn't think she'd be up to it.

The Headmaster of the school, Albus Dumbledore, was fantastic about it all and perfectly happy to arrange for her to do correspondence. She would be sent work fortnightly by owl, then once finished she would return her work in the same way and at the end of the year when she had to sit her NEWTs, she could decide to take an overnight trip to Hogwarts or visit the Ministry of Magic.

When she reached the kitchen, Ginny found her mother fussing over the stove cooking bacon and eggs like always. But this morning, she seemed a little less joyful than her usual self. She had not been particularly happy with her daughter's choice, she had tried even up until the last minute to change Ginny's mind, resulting it many arguments and tears. She greeted her daughter with a soft "morning" when she saw her but didn't make much conversation after that.

Ginny was thankful when her father appeared in his full suit, carrying his briefcase in one hand and his tie in the other. He had been the one to talk his wife into letting Ginny skip Hogwarts this year. His thought was that if their daughter wasn't going to be happy at school, then her grades would be affected, at least at home, surrounded by loved ones, her attitude may be boasted, and she could always get their help with the work.

'All ready for your first day then?' he asked his daughter happily, as he took his seat at the head of the table and unfolded the Daily Prophet.

'Yes,' said Ginny automatically, 'but I'm not expecting the owl with my work until tomorrow.'

'Oh, that's right,' said Mr Weasley, as his wife began to load up his plate with bacon.

'So, I thought I would go and see Professor Lupin,' she said, immediately getting the attention of both her parents. 'He did invite me to visit him and borrow some of his books.'

'That was nice of him,' said Mr Weasley, whilst Mrs Weasley stood behind him looking uneasy.

'I'm not sure about that, dear,' she said, putting a hand on her hip. 'Remus is a sweet man, but his condition—'

'There won't be a full moon for two more weeks, mum,' said Ginny, rolling her eyes. 'Besides, you're still angry at me about all this, I'd prefer to be out of the house.'

'I'm not angry, sweetheart,' said Mrs Weasley defensively, 'just, a little disappointed. I keep thinking about all your friends—'

'Let's not start up again,' said Mr Weasley as Ginny opened her mouth to retort. 'Ginny is seventeen, she is of age, it's her decision to do correspondence and if she wants to visit Remus Lupin, then we can't stop her, alright?'

'Alright,' said Mrs Weasley, reluctantly turning away and busying herself with breakfast again.

'Thanks mum,' said Ginny sweetly, smiling instead at her father.

'Don't mention it,' said Mr Weasley under his voice so his wife couldn't hear.

Then he cleared his throat and snapped his paper open. 'Do send our regards to Remus, won't you?' he asked, looking at her seriously. 'Tell him we should have him over for supper one night.'

Ginny nodded and began to eat her breakfast.

A little while later Mr Weasley headed off for work. Ginny was given the task to do the dishes and Mrs Weasley ducked outside for a bit to feed the pigs and the chickens. Half an hour later, after a shower and a little struggle finding a clean dress, Ginny threw a backpack over her shoulder and half-heartedly told her mother she was heading out.

Despite it being the first day of Spring, the moment Ginny stepped outside it felt like the middle of summer. By the time she reached the low garden wall at the end of the pathway, there was already a bead of sweat dripping down her temple. She swung a right and headed for the laneway at the back of the house from where she could apparate to Lupin's.

The benefit of having turned seventeen last August, was that she had been able to pass her apparition test at Hogwarts and be given permission to apparate. One of the first things she had done with her new power the minute she had got home, was pop in on Fred and George every day for a week and see how they liked it after them having done it to her so many times.

Her mother had made her stop doing that too, just another thing they disagreed on.

Once sure she about half-way down the laneway, she pictured in her mind the forest she knew Remus Lupin to live in, and span on the spot. The experience of suffocation whilst apparating was something Ginny thought she would never get used too, and when her feet met solid ground again, she took in the longest gulp of air.

After swaying on the spot, she regathered her bearings and focused on the scenery around her. There were tall trees in every direction, she could hear running water and the sounds of a motorway in the far distance. Having made the journey to Lupin's house before, she knew generally where she was and what direction she needed to go to find it.

She rearranged her backpack over her shoulder and headed northeast. After a five-minute walk, the line of tall trees began to open out into a clearing and Ginny found herself looking up at a structure. It was a typical English lodge; it looked old-fashioned, made of old mortar and brick, it sat about two stories tall and was overgrown with the surrounding shrubbery. She approached the front door and knocked softly on it a couple of times.

Thirty seconds went by without an answer. There weren't many windows for her to peer into, the one she could see through was the sitting room and that was empty. She knocked on the wooden oak door again, this time a little harder, hoping maybe he just hadn't heard her.

'Professor?' she called out, craning her neck up a the second-floor window, wondering if she'd see a head pop out.

There was a creak that made her jump, and when she looked down, the oak door had slid open an inch on its hinges. She raised her eyebrows and attempted to peak through the gap, to see if someone was on the other side of it. She couldn't see much, so she pushed the door open a little more and saw the hallway on the other side was deserted.

She stood on the threshold weighing up her options. Ordinarily speaking she wasn't someone that liked entering another person's house without invitation. But having said that, Lupin had said she could come over at any time and it wasn't like they were strangers. But if her mother knew she was contemplating entering a known werewolf's home without really knowing what was inside, she would kill her.

But this was Remus Lupin's house, the kindest and gentlest werewolf that ever lived, if there was ever a place that she was safe, it was within the four walls of this place.

She took charge of the situation and stepped over the welcome mat and closed the door behind her. For the first few steps she was nervous, but with her ears on high alert, she couldn't hear any movement besides her own. She peered into the first doorway on the left and saw the empty sitting room she'd seen through the window. The first door on the right turned out to be the library, which she passed for now to find Lupin.

The second door on the left was a guest bedroom, and the door at the end of the hall was the kitchen.

'Hello?' she said, stepping onto the tiled floor and observing the room in front of her.

The kitchen left much to be desired. It didn't appear as though breakfast – or even any meal – had been prepared in the place for several days. She only guessed this because there were no dishes on any surface.

Ginny retreated into the hallway and made her way over to the staircase which lead upstairs. But at the bottom of the stairs, something stopped her from heading up. She felt as though entering someone's bedroom without them knowing was a different line to cross than say a kitchen and so she decided against it. It was a pretty fine line if she was being honest, nothing she'd done so far would be considered acceptable anyway, she just thought that if he was to come home and catch her, she'd rather be found reading something in the library than going through sock drawer.

Not that she'd ever do that.

After calling out his name one last time, Ginny decided that he must indeed be out, and so she headed into the library to search for something of interest. She would just read something until he returned home and, in the event that he wasn't back by the end of the first chapter, she would vacate his house respectfully and leave a note of apology on the front door.

Lupin's library was one of the most impressive ones Ginny had ever seen. Although it could never compete with the likes of the Hogwarts library, or a book shop like Flourish and Blotts, it was a genuinely resourceful selection he had. Ginny ran had finger along the spines of the books and realised that he just about had every subject covered. And the obsessive-compulsive part of her appreciated the fact that Lupin had alphabetised and numerated his precious books when possible.

Ginny could have picked any one of her subjects to start on, and there would be a dozen books here for her to read. However, a particular book caught her eye, which fell on the side of one of her interests rather than school studies. She picked up _Hexes for Exes_ with a giggle and sat down in one of the large leather chairs, which turned out to be way more comfortable than she initially thought and began to read.

Her one-chapter rule went out the window quite quickly. She enjoyed what she was reading so much that before too long, she forgot where she was and who she was waiting for. It made her jump when the front door of the house closed suddenly, and when she looked up, Lupin was there, his wand out and a look of alarm on his face to find her sitting there.

'Hi Professor,' she said nervously, biting her lip and closing the book.

'Ginny,' he said, taking a deep breath and lowering his wand, 'what're you—?'

'I was just reading this hexes book,' she said, climbing out of the leather chair, 'you said I could come and borrow one when I wanted, right?'

'Right, of course,' said Lupin, and he gave her a small smile, 'but… how did you get in?'

'Oh, the door was open,' said Ginny with a shrug, 'and if you don't mind me saying so Remus, maybe you should think about locking the door when you're out?'

'I usually do,' said Lupin with a nod, scratching his chin. 'I must have just forgot about it this time, you know, getting old and everything.'

Ginny giggled. 'You're not old,' she said sweetly, 'Not really old, anyway.'

'Well thanks, I suppose,' he said, the side of his mouth twitched. 'Would you like a cool drink? It's pretty hot in this stuffy house.'

'Yes please,' said Ginny, only just realising how warm she was.

'Come on through to the kitchen then,' he said, beckoning her out of the room. 'The library is a liquid free zone.'

'OK,' said Ginny, she put the book she had been reading down on the chair and followed Lupin into the kitchen.

Lupin went over to his fridge, opened it and frowned at what he owned.

'What'll it be?' he asked in amusement, looking around at Ginny. 'I have pumpkin juice?'

Ginny made a face. 'I'll just have water please,' she said, and Lupin nodded as he closed the fridge.

'I'm not a fan of pumpkin juice either,' he said, and he went about pouring two glasses of water and fetching some ice cubes from the freezer.

'Thanks,' said Ginny when he handed her a glass. She placed it against her forehead and asked, 'so what have you been up to this morning?'

'I had a job interview,' said Lupin with a sip of his water.

'Oh?' Ginny raised her eyebrows as her former Professor slouched in his chair. 'For where?'

'A small book shop in Gloucestershire,' he said obligingly.

'That sounds like it would be perfect for you,' said Ginny, nervously sipped her water. 'How did it go?'

Lupin sighed.

'I hope you don't mind me asking,' Ginny said quickly, shifting in her chair, 'I know I'm prying, I'm not usually nosy, I was just curious—'

'I don't mind you asking,' said Lupin with a smile. 'It went well, except… well it's run by some Wizards, so they know what I am of course, so I'm sure nothing will come of it. Dumbledore keeps trying his hardest, but no one likes hiring werewolves if they can avoid it.'

'I'd hire you,' said Ginny matter-of-factly, nodding her head.

'I'm flattered. But you know me, you know my story,' said Lupin, smirking. 'But if you didn't, and even if Albus Dumbledore gave some werewolf a glowing recommendation for a job at your store, I'm certain you wouldn't take that risk.'

'Not everyone is that shallow, Professor,' said Ginny, trying to raise his confidence.

'Call me Remus, please,' said Lupin, shaking his head.

'Oh,' Ginny twisted the glass of water in her hand nervously, 'Remus… sorry, it's just weird, I'm not sure if I could ever get used to calling you that—'

'Well I'm not your Professor any more,' he said firmly, 'and I definitely won't answer you if you start calling me Mr Lupin.'

Ginny snorted into the water she'd been drinking. 'I still think you are my Professor, because you were so brilliant at it,' said Ginny, wiping her face with the back of her hand. 'And you're generously allowing me to lend your books, which are rich with information, isn't that what teachers do?'

Lupin surveyed her smartly from across the table.

'I stand corrected. Maybe you needn't bother yourself with my books, Ginny,' he said, giving her a wry smile, 'you're clearly intelligent enough, you would definitely ace your NEWTs without help from my books.'

Ginny felt her cheeks turn a slight pink.

'If it's all the same to you,' she said, 'I'd still like to borrow some.'

Lupin made a gesture with his arm to show he was not bothered. 'By all means,' he said, 'did you pick some out already? That one you were reading when I found you perhaps?'

'Oh yes, could I borrow just that one for now?' she asked hopefully. 'I will bring it back to you as soon as I can—'

'There's no hurry, Ginny,' he said, smiling, 'keep it as long as you need.'

'Thanks,' Ginny said, standing up suddenly. 'I really should get moving now anyway.'

'Oh alright,' said Lupin, standing up also to escort her out.

They walked into the hallway and Ginny nipped into the library to grab the book off the chair and her backpack in the corner.

'I don't know when I'll be back—' Ginny started to say.

'Whenever is fine,' said Lupin, 'and if you're fortunate enough to find the house open again without me in it, feel free to browse.'

'I'm really sorry about that,' said Ginny immediately, looking distressed.

'It's fine, it's fine,' said Lupin seriously, and when Ginny continued to look apologetic he added, 'really.'

'OK, bye,' said Ginny, and she waved goodbye to him and after turning on the spot, she disappeared.


	2. The Limited Library

**Chapter Two – The Limited Library**

The book that Ginny had borrowed from Lupin might not have helped her education in any way, but it was the first book in a while she had been unable to put down and it helped her ignore her mother's ramblings about how she was missing out by not attending Hogwarts this year. Her entire afternoon and evenings were spent in the pages of _Hexes for Exes_ and it gave her some fantastic ideas should she ever have the misfortune of running into one of her past string of boyfriends who only ever treated her badly.

The first postal delivery of her homework arrived the following morning, with an envelope so big and full of parchment that even the large brown Hawk clutching it was struggling to keep airborne. Mrs Weasley helped her daughter lay out the workload on the kitchen table after breakfast and identify what books she would need to read to be able to answer questions correctly, write essays factually and perform magic properly.

The dilapidating bookshelf in the living room of the Burrow was home to very few books, Mrs Weasley was able to identify one or two that would be helpful for the work laid out in front of them and that was it. And because they couldn't afford to buy any books outside of the recommended text books, it would have been difficult for Ginny to do her work via correspondence if not for the fact that Lupin had offered her to browse his library at any time.

She wrote down a list of what she would need on a piece of parchment and prepared to make the journey to the lodge again.

'I'm still not comfortable about this, dear,' Mrs Weasley said, as Ginny was putting the book she had borrowed into her bag.

'He has the books I need, mum,' said Ginny, reminding her, 'the ones WE don't have.'

'You mean the ones Hogwarts DO have—'

'Mum,' said Ginny in her serious tone, 'we've been over this—'

'Ginny I just don't want you to fail,' Mrs Weasley said, she sounded genuinely concerned.

'I know mum, but don't worry, I won't,' said Ginny as she heaved her backpack over her shoulder, 'I have you helping me.'

Mrs Weasley said nothing. But Ginny did see a hint of a twitch at the corner of her mouth.

'I'll be back before dinner time, OK?' Ginny said, and before her mother could reply, she had pecked her on the cheek and had gone.

* * *

'Professor—? Err… I mean, Remus, are you home? The door was open again.'

Ginny's voice echoed through the hallway of the lodge as she peered for a sign of life.

'I'm in the kitchen Ginny,' said a voice in return, 'come through.'

'Hi,' Ginny said, once she'd poked her head in through the door. 'Sorry to barge in again without notice, but I wondered if I could borrow some more books?'

'Of course, Ginny,' said Lupin without question. 'But please, you don't have to keep asking me, I offered to lend them to _you_ , remember?'

'I guess I was just brought up that way,' said Ginny, shrugging as she took a seat opposite the werewolf. 'The thing is, I got my first batch of homework this morning and I really want to get started on it—'

'Well I can certainly appreciate your endeavour,' said Lupin, smiling. 'Do you need help picking out the right books?'

'Mum helped me make up a list,' said Ginny, pulling out the parchment to show Lupin. 'Any help you can give me would be great though, thanks.'

'Of course,' said Lupin, reading the list. 'Yes, I do believe I own most of these.'

'Oh, you mean there's a few you don't have?' Ginny asked, sounding disheartened.

'Yes, I'm sorry,' said Lupin, looking up at the young redhead. 'I don't quite have the same funding as Hogwarts do for their library.'

'No, I'm sorry,' said Ginny, her gut suddenly full of butterflies, 'of course you don't, and I didn't mean to assume—'

'It's alright Ginny,' said Lupin, smiling sweetly at her and waving away her apology. 'We can work something out.'

'I can't ask you to go out of your way, Prof- Remus,' she said, thinking what her mother would say. 'I will just owl Hogwarts and ask to borrow from them—'

'That would be counter-productive, Ginny,' said Lupin, shaking his head, 'when I could just go buy them tomorrow from Flourish and Blotts myself.'

'I couldn't possibly let you do that,' said Ginny, outraged. 'The books from there can be incredibly expensive. And you're out of work aren't you? Unless you heard back from that bookstore?'

'Unfortunately, not,' said Lupin, and Ginny could sense the disappointment in his voice. 'But don't worry about all that, I am going to get the books regardless Ginny so you might as well save your breath.'

Ginny opened her mouth and closed it again. She wanted to retort so badly that it made her twitch, but she said nothing as Lupin got up to make them a pot of tea. Words failed her anyway, she was so touched that a former Professor and near-on stranger would be so accommodating and quick to help that she would only be rude to object his attempts.

'Well, I brought this back anyway,' said Ginny, changing the subject and pulling _Hexes for Exes_ out of her bag. 'I really enjoyed it and could read through it again in a heartbeat.'

Lupin frowned at her. 'You can hold on to it and read it again if you like, it's not urgent.'

'Oh, well, I know I hate people borrowing my things for longer than they should,' said Ginny with a shrug. 'And since I've finished with it—'

'You know what? I want you to keep it,' said Lupin, pouring her tea.

'What?' asked Ginny, her eyebrows raised.

'Yeah,' said Lupin, smiling at her shock. 'It's just going to collect dusk in my library anyway, I'm not going to read it again, and if you really liked it that much, you should have it.'

'Oh, no, I can't—' Ginny began to say.

'No arguments,' said Lupin again, sitting down and sipping his tea.

Ginny had the feeling that if she stayed for too much longer she would only end up insulting the man, so after their cup of tea and a quick sweep of his bookcase for the books she needed, she thanked him repeatedly and went on her way. She made the decision to apparate into the outer-fields of the Burrow, so she could sit under a large oak tree and go about re-reading _Hexes for Exes_ for the rest of the afternoon.

But unlike the previous night, she struggled to even make it past the first chapter. Thoughts about the conversation with Remus Lupin were bothering her. She had made the point to not fight with the werewolf about his decision, but there was no way she could let him get away with buying books for her correspondence out of his pocket. Her mind began asking the question that there must be something she could do to rectify it all.

When the sun was setting, she was brought out of her reverie by the sound of her mother calling her name from the house and decided it was probably for the best that she returned. She said nothing to her mother about her predicament, preferring to explain instead that she had had a cup of tea with Lupin, he had given her some books to borrow and she had spent the day reading in peace in the fields.

And the reason she came up with for not having all the books she needed, was the Lupin had suggested she take only a few now, finish the work accordingly and she could go get the other books another day. Her mother, although still subjective towards making multiple trips to a werewolf's house, bought the lie and made no more mention of it.

Ginny helped her set the table, said very little during the meal itself, and then retreated to her room with the excuse of studying but with the intention of doing nothing but thinking about how to stop Lupin spending all of his money on books just for her needs.

She made very little progress into her work that night. She tried reading through several books, but each time she eventually realised she was reading the same sentences repeatedly and her mind was just elsewhere. When her mother popped her head in to say goodnight, Ginny lied in saying she had already learned loads. She was lucky her mother didn't have a follow-up question, because if she had, Ginny wouldn't have had an answer for her.

Eventually she decided that tiredness got the better of her and her mind was incapable of concentrating on neither her study nor the Lupin problem. So, she got ready for bed and figured that if anything else, a good night's sleep would clear her head.


	3. The Idea

**Chapter Three – The Idea**

For whatever reason, Ginny always seemed to have her most brilliant ideas when she was sleeping. She figured her subconscious must have recognised her as having a problem and went to work on solving it while most of her other functions had powered down. Either way, when she sat upright in her bed the following morning it was like a lightbulb appeared over the top of her head and she knew what she had to do.

She rushed down to breakfast and was relieved to find both her mother and father were still present, although Mr Weasley had already put the Daily Prophet down and looked like he was preparing to leave for work.

'Mum, dad, can I talk to you for a minute?' she asked short of breath, having hurtled down the stairs at an unreasonable pace.

'Of course, you can dear,' said Mrs Weasley, looking taken-aback.

Ginny hesitated.

She wasn't quite sure how much to tell them, after all her conversation with Lupin about his job interview, and his lack of success in said interview, had been in confidence. But after a moment, she told them about it anyway, and that it made her feel bad that the owners had not wanted a werewolf working in their store. And she went on about how no matter how many glowing recommendations Dumbledore gives out, Lupin seems to continuously be shunted from every job he applies for.

And then she went on about her guilt of borrowing Lupin's precious books without so much as a dime for him in return, and how rewarding it would be if they could pay him in some way. Then she went on to say just how good of a teacher he was, easily her best Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher in all her time at Hogwarts, and that maybe if he agreed to tutor her, he could have some money, so he can find his feet and look for that elusive proper job.

Even as she was saying it all and processing it in her brain, it sounded like a perfect idea. The longer she spoke, the less comfortable Mrs Weasley looked about the idea. And when she finished speaking, it appeared to take all her mother's effort not to burst out and say 'NO, ABSOLUTELY NOT!'

'Well, that's interesting,' said Mr Weasley, as his wife raised her eyebrows at him. 'What do you think, dear?'

'I think it's sweet you have Remus' best interest at heart, dear,' said Mrs Weasley truthfully, 'but I don't think it's a good idea. We can't afford to pay him—'

'Not so fast, Molly,' said Mr Weasley, put up a finger. 'I actually think that it's a good idea, and although I agree we might not be able to give him much money, we might be able to work something out.'

'I—' Mrs Weasley opened and closed her mouth several times, attempting to come up with words to describe her disagreement. 'But Arthur, if she was at Hogwarts, then we wouldn't _have_ to pay someone to tutor her.'

'Mum,' Ginny said, narrowing her eyes at her mother, as if reminding her she was still in the room.

'How about this,' said Mr Weasley, smiling at his daughter, 'why don't you send an owl to Dumbledore with your idea and see what he says?'

Ginny felt her heart skip a beat. 'Oh, that would be great dad, can I please?' she asked hopefully.

'That's foolish, Arthur,' said Mrs Weasley. 'Dumbledore has far too much on his plate already—'

'That may be,' said Mr Weasley, 'but he did inform Ginny to feel free and send any questions she liked about her correspondence. This falls under that category does it not?'

Mrs Weasley had a hard time disproving this fact, and as soon as she relented, Ginny was racing upstairs to write to Dumbledore.

 _Dear Professor Dumbledore,_

 _I know you are probably very busy, so I will keep this short. For my correspondence homework I am currently borrowing books from Remus Lupin, and during a recent trip there, it came to my attention that he is struggling to find work. He has also stated that he would buy new books for me to read out of his own pocket, which I can't let him do without something in return. I wondered if it would be OK with you if he became my full-time tutor and helped with my work and study for my NEWTs._

 _Mum and Dad said they will find a way to pay him. Please let me know by return owl if this would be OK and not break any rules._

 _Kind regards_

 _Ginny Weasley_

Ginny re-read the letter several times over before finally accepting it to be acceptable. She had to pause and tell herself that she was writing to one of the most intellectually brilliant minds of the century and she hoped it didn't make her sound like a dummy. Once satisfied, she tied the parchment to Pigwidgeon (who her brother, Ron, had kindly left for her to send and receive mail) and sent the tiny little owl on its way.

* * *

As there was no way of knowing how long it would take to get an answer, Ginny put the idea into the back of her mind and went about reading the books she had already borrowed. It was so nice that she could shove a couple into a backpack, head out the back door of her house and go for a wander in the adjoining fields to find another tree to sit under and read. She got through _Historical Magical Creatures_ quickly, because a lot of it she knew already, but _Ancient Mythological Runes_ had her scratching her head almost instantly.

When she had told her mother with a flat out "no" after being asked if she was returning to Hogwarts, Ginny never stopped to think how important the teachers were in getting the correct information across. It never crossed her mind in the past that all the learning she'd done so far would have been pretty much impossible without the help and support of her teachers.

The amount of times she had follow up questions with Professor McGonagall about something she didn't understand were countless. And even the moments she would dread in Potions class, when she would raise her hand to get Professor Snape to repeat an equation, she couldn't believe that was something she missed. But probably the one benefit she would miss the most and knew that even if she had gone to Hogwarts it would not have been there, was tapping Hermione Granger on the shoulder and asking if the five-hundred word essay she'd written on Troll Wars was correct.

Hermione was working full-time now. She, Harry Potter and Ginny's brother Ron were all living out of a three bedroom flat in London and were officially part of the Ministry of Magic, fixing everything that was wrong with the wizarding world. Ginny didn't see them much anymore, except for Ron now and then, who along with Fred and George would return for a decent home-cooked meal and an evening to catch up with the family.

Ginny returned to the Burrow at about mid-afternoon, she poked her head in the kitchen to find it empty and so she wandered in. She heard her mother making noise in the laundry, so she called out to inform her that she was home and raced upstairs before she could be handed out chores. In her room she began to write an essay about Dragon's, making sure to write down everything she could ever remember her brother Charlie telling her about them.

She finished up around the same time her mother called her downstairs for dinner and figured although what she had written was not perfect, she was willing to take it to Lupin's tomorrow and see what he thought. Then, if she was bold enough, at the same time, tell him about the idea and the things she had put in place already.

* * *

When Ginny knocked on the door of Lupin's lodge the next morning, she had a sense of déjà vu because nobody answered, and the wooden door seemingly slid open on its own. She nervously stepped over the threshold, peered up the hallway and found there was no sign of him yet again.

'Remus?' she called out, her voice reverberated off the walls but there was no answer.

She pondered entering again without permission for all of two seconds, before closing the door and heading along the hallway. The kitchen was empty, as was the study area and the library when she went in there. Ginny placed the magical creature's book, and the essay she had finished on Lupin' desk and promptly raided the bookshelf.

'Ever heard of knocking?' said a voice a minute later, making her jump.

Ginny yelped and looked around. Lupin stood smiling with a grin and holding a tray with a couple of empty plates.

'Remus!' Ginny said, clutching her chest. 'You scared me!'

'Sorry to scare you in my own house,' Lupin said, beaming at her.

'I'm sorry,' Ginny said automatically, 'but, I could have hexed you!'

'And I you.'

'I'm sorry but the door was open and—'

'I'd have done the same,' he said, noticing the book she'd left on his desk. 'So, you've finished one already?'

'Yes, and thank you for lending it to me,' she said, trying to remain courteous. 'I brought the essay I wrote on it too, and… well this might be asking too much, but I was wondering if you could look at it for me?'

'Me?' Lupin asked, placing the tray on the table. 'Really?'

'Remus, who was that tray for?' Ginny asked, becoming slightly distracted.

'Huh?' Lupin looked back down at it. 'Oh— it's for me. You know, breakfast in bed. Thought I'd try something new.'

Ginny pursed her lips but said nothing.

'Why do you want me to look at this?' Lupin asked, picking up the essay and flipping through it.

'I thought you could give me some feedback,' said Ginny, biting her lip and treading carefully. 'I'd appreciate any help you can offer.'

Lupin looked at her funny before sitting down in the leather chair and beginning to read. Ginny wondered when to bring up the fact that she'd all but applied for a job for him on his behalf, but the moment didn't feel right.

Lupin was immediately very generous with his time in scanning over her essay and giving her some words of wisdom and things to change. She was so taken-aback by his input, that when he offered a cup of tea, she accepted automatically.

'Coming right up,' said Lupin, picking up the tray from the table and moving swiftly from the room.

Ginny grabbed a book about advanced Transfiguration and followed Lupin into the kitchen. He had already made his old metal kettle hop from the shelf and fill itself with water with a swish of his wand, and before they knew it, it was whistling away and rattling against the metal on the stove top.

The two of them enjoyed their tea with some biscuits and talked about some trivial things like the weather and family. Lupin asked what subjects Ginny was most interested in, what she hoped to do the best in and what she wanted to do when she finished her NEWTs. It was like Lupin was already her tutor and was finding out for himself how to approach teaching her and guiding her through her subjects.

She decided against telling him that her main passion was Quidditch, and instead focused on her love of Charm casting, describing the enjoyment she had of perfecting certain hexes and spells. Lupin seemed interested in what she had to say and offered to make a list of his books that would be best suited for such a passion.

Ginny didn't know what to say to that. Feeling guilty that she was taking up too much of his time, Ginny told him not to go out of his way for her and the promptly made the excuse that she ought to be getting home for lunch. He escorted her down the hall, handed over her essay that had now been covered with notes and comments and waved after her as she went on her way.

* * *

When Ginny got home, her mother was busying herself in the kitchen like always and turned to greet her.

'Ginny, dear, this came for you while you were out,' said Mrs Weasley, grabbing a brown envelope from the kitchen table and handing it to her daughter.

Ginny knew a Hogwarts letter when she saw one.

'Thanks!' she said, ripping it open. 'This'll be from Dumbledore.'

Her mother read it with her over her shoulder.

 _Dear Miss Weasley,_

 _It sounds like a wonderful idea. It is with indescribable joy that I give Remus John Lupin my full permission to be your tutor whilst you study at Hogwarts by correspondence for your NEWTs._

 _It is also my pleasure to inform you that under such circumstances, school rules permit the governors of Hogwarts to pay wages for any teacher teaching an enrolled student, even when outside of school grounds. Therefore, you parents need not worry about money._

 _Please send Remus my regards and inform him that a letter will be sent at a later date to arrange payments. He should also know how fortunate he is to have a caring person like yourself looking out for him. I hope, in time, he will come to know that._

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _Albus Dumbledore_

'Oh my,' said Mrs Weasley, after reading through the letter with her daughter

'Admit it,' Ginny said, putting the letter down, 'you didn't think he would allow it, did you?'

'I wasn't sure, dear,' said Mrs Weasley, picking up the letter to read it through again. 'I suppose it's official now.'

'He'll be a great help for me mum,' said Ginny, being serious to her mother. 'He already has been, look.'

She showed her mother the essay she had written and taken to him and the comments and corrections he had made whilst reading it.

'He's a great teacher and he has all the books,' Ginny said quickly, 'I hope you understand.'

'Of course,' said Mrs Weasley, nodding. 'I'm just concerned for your safety.'

'Let it go, I'll be fine,' said Ginny, rolling her eyes, 'I'm not stupid enough to visit him during a full moon or anything.'

'Well, good,' said Mrs Weasley, 'I guess that's something—'

'I am going to go tomorrow though,' said Ginny happily, twirling on the spot.

'Ginevra, no.'

Her mother always defaulted to Ginny's real name when she was trying to get something across to her daughter. It was a kind way of her saying no, without completely yelling at her. Ginny's brother would get the similar treatment, she would yell "Ronald" at him when angry, and the twins; well, they would know when they were really in trouble, because she wouldn't use their names at all, she would instead head for the utensil draw in the kitchen to get her rolling pin.

'That would be your third visit in three days,' she said cautiously, 'he needs his space, dear, you know what it's like, you have six brothers—'

'But he needs to know about this mum,' said Ginny, indicating the letter on the table. 'Anyway, beside me, I don't think he gets many visitors. There are some people who don't visit him because of what he is, but I'm not going to be that person, it doesn't matter to me that he's a…'

She trailed off and Mrs Weasley eyed her.

'We're going to finish this conversation with your father present,' said Mrs Weasley, and as if her word was final, she walked off to make lunch before her daughter could make her own case.


End file.
